These are organised by five research schools participating in the Graduate School. The Graduate School is part of the Erasmus Medical Centre. Erasmus MC is the largest medical centre in the Netherlands. It has 13.000 employees and combines patient care, research and education. The Erasmus MC is located in Rotterdam; which is the second largest city in the Netherlands. Rotterdam is in the top ten o
f harbor-cities in the world and is known for its international community. Erasmus MC is number 1 in the Times Higher Education Ranking of Top European Institutes in clinical Medicine of the last ten years. Its research in the field of Life Sciences is the best of Europe and is therefore world renown. The Graduate School consists of five research masters in the field of life sciences. The five research schools that make up the Graduate School also offer different PhD programs for those who want to perform research. The different research masters are: Neuroscience, Health Sciences, Clinical Research, Molecular Medicine and Infection and Immunity. Due to the strong collaborations between departments the research is very interdisciplinary and innovative. Each of the five research masters provides an excellent basis for pursuing a PhD. Each Master is a two year period of study with a strong emphasis on research. The ambition is huge: Each student should at least have finished one publication in a large scientific paper. The five research schools that offer PhD programs are: Cardiovascular Research School (Coeur), Medical Genetics Centre (MGC), Molecular Medicine (MolMed), Netherlands Institute for Health Sciences (Nihes) and Neurosciences (ONWAR). As a PhD student at Erasmus MC Graduate School, you will undertake a piece of independent scientific research and present the results in a thesis. You will be supervised by a full academic professor (promotor) and, in most cases, supported by a co-supervisor (co-promotor). Frequent advice and support on-the-job are key elements in PhD research at Erasmus MC Graduate School. Typical for dutch PhD’s is that they receive a salary and are actually considered an employee. PhD students may be employed in different ways at Erasmus MC. Some are employed as research trainees under a so-called OiO agreement (Onderzoeker in Opleiding). Others combine PhD research with their clinical training (MD-PhD, in Dutch Agiko), or are junior researchers and combine several research projects in one PhD thesis.
